Chapter 7
"Wow. What a nice room!" Sakuno exclaimed after opening the door to the hotel room. The room was modernly decorated in shades of blue and green. A pair of twin beds with matching blue sheets stood side by side close to the full length windows adorned with linen curtains. Kunimitsu opened the curtains to let light into the room and the two siblings looked out at the beautiful ocean view.
Shortly after arriving at the hotel, everyone checked in and was assigned rooms. Next to Kunimitsu and Sakuno's room was Yuuta and Shusuke. On the other side were Momo and Ryoma.
"The buffet at the hotel is probably open now. We should get lunch. At 5pm we'll come back for dinner and at 7pm Momo and Kikumaru have planned a group activity for us" Kunimitsu said after glancing at his watch and the schedule they all were given.
"Let's go swimming in the ocean today!" Sakuno added excitedly following her brother out the door.
"Tonight's group activity will be…" Momo announced in his grandest voice.
"A TEST OF COURAGE!" Kikumaru finished for his friend.
It was 7pm and the Seigaku tennis team and friends were gathered in the lobby of the hotel just as they had planned.
"Tonight pairs of two will have to go through the creepy forest with this list if things to find and a flashlight." Momo said.
"The first pair to find all the things on their list and make it to the finish line before sunrise wins." Kikumaru added.
"So it's just like a scavenger hunt right?" Taka asked.
"Exactly."
"Che, a scavenger hunt is child's play." Kaidoh muttered.
"That may be, but have you ever heard the legend of the headless woodsman who haunts this forest?" Inui asked the crowd.
"No."
"A long time ago, this area of Japan was all wilderness. One night a woodsman went into the forest to gather wood for his family's fire. The woodsman was very upset at the time because the local governor had tried to buy the woodsman's house as a vacation spot because it has such a great view of the beach. Legend says that as the woodsman walked into the forest that night; the governor followed him waiting for his chance. When the tired woodsman sat down to take a rest, the governor quickly picked up his axe and beheaded him with it! The governor threw the corpse into the lake and then bought the woodsman's house the next day." Inui said dramatically.
"A week later, they found the mangled body of the governor in the forest. No one knows how he got there; no one knows how he died. After years had passed the governor's land was bought by this resort company who didn't know about it's grisly past until they bought it. How do you think we got the hotel rooms so cheap? It's because everyone else is too afraid to stay here. It's said that every night the ghost of the headless woodsman wanders through this forest with his axe, waiting to kill anyone who dares to trespass his home." He ended chillingly.
"Or at least that's what they say anyway. Let's play! Inui added cheerfully.
"Wait! I forgot to say that the partners were picked earlier by random drawing. Ryuzaki-sensei will now announce the teams as Eiji and I go to the finish line. Have fun!" Momo said and he and Kikumaru ran off into the darkness.
"First team: Shusuke and Kawamura. Second team: Tezuka and Oishi. Third team: Inui and Kaidoh." She announced.
"Since there is an uneven amount of people, the team of three will be Echizen, Yuuta and Sakuno." Ryuzaki-sensei added.
"Each team gets one list and one flashlight. After you get these items you may start. The team of three will leave last because they have an advantage.
One by one, each team left the clearing and disappeared into the gloom until there was only Ryoma, Yuuta, Sakuno and Ryuzaki-sensei left.
"You guys can go after I leave." Ryuzaki-sensei said. After waiting a few minutes she left and the three young teens were left alone with each other and the eerie silence.
"It'll be okay Tezuka-san; they wouldn't let anything happen to us." Yuuta said to a shaking and terrified Sakuno.
"Yeah, I guess…" She said weakly.
"Mada mada dane. I didn't think anyone could be scared by Inui-sempai's ghost stories." Ryoma said as he grabbed Sakuno's hand and began walking into the forest.
"You can hold onto my hand too if you're scared Tezuka-san. I mean…if you want to…" Yuuta sputtered embarrassedly.
"Arigato, Yuuta-kun." Sakuno replied as she squeezed both of their hands tightly in hers and began walking into the woods.
"The target has left the clearing. Repeat, the target has left the clearing." Momo said into a walkie talkie. He had been watching the trio from a nearby bush the whole time.
"Copy that Momo. Everyone is in position." Kikumaru's voice responded over the walkie talkie.
Unknown to Ryoma, Yuuta and Sakuno; the entire activity was really just a prank played on them. Scattered throughout the forest, armed with walkie talkies and scary costumes were the other eight members of the Seigaku tennis team.
"Looks like things are going well with Echizen and Sakuno." Momo said into the walkie talkie.
"I still think it's going to be Echizen and Yuuta." Kikumaru's voice replied.
"Don't worry about it guys, we'll find out who she likes more before the sun sets today." Inui voice said mischievously.
Hello everyone. Sorry the ghost story in this chapter was kinda cheesy. I couldn't think of anything else. Anyway I have decided that this story is going to be a RyoxSaku. Sorry Yuuta fans. I had originally intended it to be SakunoxYuuta but I just couldn't paint Ryoma as the villain anymore. I promise I'll do a SakuxYuuta soon! Happy reading!
ViennaSky
